1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to stackable pallets. More particularly, the invention relates to a system and method for stacking packaged goods on a pallet and moving the same such that during transit, tipping and spillage of the packaged goods off the pallet is substantially reduced or eliminated.
2. Background Art
Consumers in the U.S., as is well known, purchase products for personal and home use from a variety of locations. These products include many different types of pre-packaged food items with significant shelf lives (breakfast cereals, cake mixes, snack foods, snack beverages, among many other items), personal care items (deodorants, toothpaste, shampoos, among many other items), as well home-use items such as paper towels, light bulbs, cleaning supplies (dishwashing detergents, washing machines detergent), among many other types. The types of stores where people purchase these items varies, and large nationally operated chain grocery stores (Shoppers®, Giant®, among others), nationally operated retail warehouse shopping stores (Wal-Mart®, Costco®, BJ's®, among others), and smaller convenience stores (7-11®, Wawa®, ExxonMart®, among others).
Even though a great variety of stores exist, consumers have become accustomed to purchasing whatever they want from wherever they want. That is, a consumer knows he or she can purchase, for example, beverage products (soft drinks), at any of the stores, the differentiation being perhaps price and size of containers. Manufacturers ship their goods to all these different types of stores, and they are generally shipped the same way: in cardboard boxes, loaded onto pallets.
The pallets used to ship all these different types of goods are loaded in central distribution warehouses. The loaded pallets are then placed into delivery vehicles, usually large wheel tractor trailers, and hauled to the different stores. Sometimes the entire loaded pallet is dropped off at the store, and the store's employees unload the pallets and stack the items onto shelves. Sometimes the drivers are responsible for unloading pallets and stacking shelves. Some items are not loaded onto pallets, but are loaded onto delivery vehicles, and then off-loaded from the delivery vehicle and stocked on shelves or point-of-purchase displays.
In the distribution chain described above, significant amounts of time and energy are devoted to the loading and subsequent unloading of pallets. Still further time and energy are devoted to the stocking of shelves of the shipped product. Although distribution of different products will vary, overall, it is about the same. The loading, unloading and shelving, or stacking of products costs hundred of millions of dollars each year through wages, and even worse, hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars in lost employee time and workers' compensation claims due to back and repetitive stress injuries. Back and repetitive stress injuries cost significant money and negatively impairs employees' lives. Thus, the current mechanisms and methods for distribution of product (which can also extend in some instances to raw materials for manufacturing) has significant shortcomings that take a personal and economic toll on the lives of many people.
A particular example of a product that is distributed as described above are consumer soft drink beverages. People throughout the world consume vast quantities of beverages, commonly referred to as “soft drinks”, and thus the soft drink industry is an extremely large one, wherein several billion dollars are spent annually. A significant portion of the people purchase soft drinks from restaurants of all different types, and others obtain their beverages from large retail stores, such as grocery stores or large discount stores (such as BJs®, Wal-Mart®, among others), yet a significant portion of the retail market also obtains their soft drink beverages from convenience stores.
FIG. 1 illustrates a type of device, commonly referred to as a dolly, that is used to transport many different types of products, including soft drinks. When soft drink product is distributed to grocery and convenience stores (retail location), it is generally placed on the distribution or delivery vehicle onto racks. The drivers or operators of the vehicles then unload the soft drink product at the retail location onto a dolly as shown in FIG. 1. Then, the operator transports the loaded dolly, which can weigh about 250 lbs., into the retail location. Often times the parking lot is a gravel or dirt parking lot, or is paved, but the asphalt has large cracks and/or “potholes”. The gravel, cracks, and/or potholes can cause operators to lose control of the loaded dolly, or make it difficult to keep control of the loaded dolly, which can lead to tipping and/or spillage of the product. Generally, the operator must also lift the loaded pallet up a curb from the parking lot to the sidewalk or entrance to the retail location. All these actions—loading, unloading, transport, lifting, and then shelving or stacking the product, consumes significant amounts of energy and time, and leads to the back and repetitive stress injuries discussed above.
Thus, a need exists for a pallet that transport and displays packaged goods that substantially eliminates or reduces the material and physical costs of distribution of product, and furthermore, substantially prevents or eliminates tipping and spillage of product while being shipped and transported.